Page 29 of Shielding Soledad

“Fass!” I yelled, giving Frankie the command to attack. She charged in and wrapped her jaws around Bruce’s leg. Bruce shouted in pain and thrashed wildly, trying to shake her off. He landed a punch to my jaw, dislodging me enough to wrestle me to the floor. Bruce struck out with his leg and slammed Frankie into the wall.

I caught a glimpse of the stunned dog. She shook her head and rose, poised to leap back at Bruce.

“Platz!” I shouted to call her off. I didn’t want her hurt. I got my hand around Bruce’s throat, trying to force the man off me, but Bruce was as strong as I was. I was moving to slam my forehead into Bruce’s, when I heard a crack and felt dirt sift down on me.

What the hell? I didn’t know what had happened, but Bruce weakened, giving me the chance to roll us over and get the upper hand. I scrambled to my feet, ready to end this. Bruce was struggling to his knees before I landed two right hooks to his jaw, knocking him back to the floor, where he lay unmoving.

Breathing heavily, I assessed the situation. Fragments of pottery and soil littered the area. Understanding dawned. Soledad had slammed her potted cactus into Bruce’s head. I took my eyes from Bruce long enough to give her a grin.

I had a sentimental fondness for the potted plant that she’d tried to use against me the day I returned home to find her there—and for the woman who wielded it—but I couldn’t allow myself to go there yet. I had to secure Bruce. First I checked the man’s pockets for additional weapons, pulling out another handgun and a hunting knife. Then I grabbed zip ties from a kitchen drawer and bound Bruce’s hands and ankles before hog-tying him with a belt. SEALs knew how to get out of the usual restraints, but I didn’t think Bruce could get free from this. At least, not in the time it would take for the police to arrive.

I’d make the calls to the authorities and my family in a minute, but first I needed Soledad. She was seated on the floor next to Frankie, gently stroking the dog’s side.

“Is she okay?” I asked, dropping to my knees in front of them.

“Just stunned, I think,” Soledad said. “I want to have a veterinarian check her out.”

“We will. Are you okay?” I looked at her with utter admiration. She’d just had a gun held to her head by a trained killer, but she was more concerned with the dog.

She nodded.

“Soledad, I am so sorry about all of this,” I said. There was so much I wanted to say to her, but I had to start with an apology. I didn’t think I could ever apologize enough for what she’d just gone through.

She gave me a little smile and came up on her knees, facing me. I took her actions as permission and reached for her, yanking her to me more roughly than I should have. She didn’t object, wrapping her arms around me in a fierce hug. I needed to know where we stood, but this was a good start.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered into her hair. I was never going to be able to say it enough, even if I repeated it every day for the rest of our lives. I hoped she’d give me the chance to do that. I stroked a hand down her back, grateful she was unharmed. After a minute, I released her. “I’ve got to deal with this, and then we’ll talk.”

And somehow I was going to have to find the right words.

14

ALEX

“Everything’s good. Soledad’s safe,” Zach said when he returned to my house a few hours later.

“Thanks.” While Chance had taken charge of Frankie, driving her to the vet’s office, my oldest brother had taken on the responsibility of taking Soledad back to Colin’s house. She’d had to stay and give her statement to the local police, and the NCIS team that came to investigate would want to speak with her again, but she’d been allowed to leave and return to Luke. “What’s the word on Frankie?” I asked, turning to Chance.

“The vet said she’s fine, maybe a bruised rib. He’s keeping her overnight for observation,” Chance replied. “I think it’s over, cuz.”

“Scary as hell.” I couldn’t shake the image of Bruce holding a gun to Soledad’s head. I’d felt in those moments that my whole world could end. I could have lost her so easily, which was what prompted me to confess my love. She had to know, regardless of what happened.

“Been there. I know how it feels,” Zach said. The jewelry store owned by Zach’s wife had been targeted by a man bent on revenge against her family. I saw Chance nodding, too—Mandy had had her own terrible experience with a dangerous man who had put her life at risk. They both understood, but it didn’t make the situation better. Seeing Bruce behind bars would.

“They’re fighting over who gets Bruce.” Colin came to stand with us on the front lawn and indicated where Bruce sat cuffed in the back of a squad car. “The local guys want him on a couple of felony charges. My money says the Navy will win this one.” NCIS representatives were in a heated discussion with uniformed police officers. “I think I’ll stroll over and listen in.”

I let my brother deal with it. As long as Bruce was in custody, I didn’t care where. A few minutes later, Bruce, his hands cuffed behind his back, was transferred to the back of a black Suburban. I made eye contact with him one last time and saw the hatred in his expression. I didn’t feel sorry for him. Bruce had brought this on himself. He’d made the choices that led him here.

Colin walked back across the lawn as the last of the police and NCIS vehicles left. Together, the four of us went inside. I wanted to hear what Colin had learned before I went to see Soledad. A tough conversation was ahead of me still, but I was hopeful my chances with her were good.

“The NCIS guys were steamed when they realized how the earlier charges against Bruce were mishandled,” Colin reported. “He should never have had the opportunity to come at you.”

“The value of connections,” I observed. Bruce’s family had bailed him out, saved him from a harsh punishment, but nothing could help him now.

“This incident opened up a can of worms about the slap on the wrist that Bruce got. I think his father’s going to face some consequences for all the strings he pulled, maybe even get forced into early retirement,” Colin said. “And there are others, too, who knew about Bruce’s involvement in the opium trade and let it slide, either because they were paid off or because they were scared of his family. I expect at least a couple of resignations.”

“As long as Bruce is locked up,” I said. I felt no sympathy for those whose careers were ruined. They’d proven themselves dishonorable and should suffer the consequences.

“He will be, and you came out the hero for having turned him in. Might figure into your next promotion…if you reenlist,” Colin said.

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